Apparatus for expanding metal lath



1927. April 12 L. E. CURTIS- APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING METAL LATH Original Filed July as, 1924 11 Sheets-Sheet 1 1927. Apr! L. E. CURTIS APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING METAL LATE ll Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July 26, 1924 '1 i927. Apr] 12 L. E. CURTIS APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING METAL LATH 11 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed July 26. 1924 k mm aw flven mf 192 12 7 L. E. CURTIS APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING METAL LATH ll Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed July 26. 194

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L. E. CURTIS April 12 1927. 1,624,543

APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING METAL LATH Original Filed July 26, 1924 11 Sheets-Sheet 5 Jig/Ha Jazz/Z627 Uzc/"q April 12 1927.

- 1,624,543 1.. E. CURTIS APPARATUS FOR EXPANDING METAL LATH April 12 1927.

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Patented Apr. 12, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,624,543 PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS E. cUIvrIs. or mILwA-UxEE, wISeoNSIN, ASSIGNOR. BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO A. 0. PAUL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA,

I ,RIVEE FOREST, ILLINOIS, TRUSTE S.

nun GEORGE A. CHRITTON, or

APPA TUS Eon EXPANDING METAL 'LA'T I.

lppllcation'tlled July 26, 1924, Serial No. 728,420. Renewed January 24, 1927.

and particularly the type of metal lath known as ribbed'lath. It will be fully unillus'trated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 1 together present a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figs. 2 and 2 present a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the feeding and rib forming rolls on the line 3 of Fig. 2; V

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through intermediate guide rolls on the line 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through expanding guides on the line 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical section on the broken line 6 of Fig. 5, showing anintermediate expanding guide in side elevation;

Fig. 7 is a broken detail sectional view through the guide rolls on the line' 7 of Fig. 6; v N Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view on the line 8 of Fig. 6;

line 9 of Fig. 5, showing an intermediate expanding guide in side elevation;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the lower guides and rolls shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view through the central guide portion shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional vi'ew. on the line 12 of Fig. 5, showing the marginal expanding guides in side elevation;

Fig. 13 is a plan viewof the lower guides and rolls as shown in Fig. 12;

Fig. 14' is a detail sectional view on the line 14 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 15 is a detail sectional view on the line 15 .of Fig. 12; and

Fig. 16 is a vertical sectional view through the flatteningrolls on the line 16 of Figs. 1 and 2.

' Referring more particularly to the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the numeral 20 indicates asupportin frame or table upon which the expanding machine is mounted. To one endthereof is secured the guide or feed table/21. by which a previously slitted blank is fed to the expanding machine. Adjacent to the feed Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view on the] table are provided the feeding and rib forming rolls, of which, in the form illustrated, there are upper sets of rolls 22 mounted on shafts 23 and lower sets of rolls 24 mounted on shafts 25, the upper and lower sets of rolls mating with one another. The lower shafts 25 are journalled in the end bearing blocks 26 and intermediate bearings 27. The

upper shafts 23 are journalled in the end bearing blocks 28 slidablein the supporting frame 28 and in the intermediate bearing 29 suspended adjustably by means of a Screw 30 from the supporting yoke 31, mounted on the frame-282' The upper and lower feed roll shafts 23 and 25 are driven together by means of the intermeshing gears 32, and Suitable gearing 35- is provided for driving the two sets of rolls simultaneously. One of the lower shafts 25 is extended outwardly to one side, the extended'portion 25 being journalled in a bearing block 36 and provided atits end with a sprocket wheel 37, by which the feed rolls are forth.

The respective feed rolls- 22 and 24 are provided with mating. grooves and tongues.

to form the desired ribs in the blank being fed through themachine.

After leaving the grooving and feed rolls through stationary expanders, indicated as a group in Figs. 1,1, 2 and 2 by the numeral 38, and feed rolls 79. v

AS shown in Figs. 5 to 15 inclusive, the stationary expanders are of several types.-

-For convenience these may be designated as guides, designated 40, being rcversedto that of the parts of those on each side of it. As these guides are otherwise substantially similar in form, only the central one of the group will be described in detail.

I As shown in Figs 5, 6 and 8, this guide member consists of a lower bar43, mounted at its ends on-thesupports 44and having beveled ends projecting into the space between the adjacent feed rolls at each end thereof. Qn its upper surface longitudinal driven a hereinafter Set,

.22 and 24, the blank' passes alternately surface opposed to guide member 43.

portions are cut away to form shoulders 45, and in these are secured the bars 46 (suitably formed of hardened metal) which extend upwardly above the upper surface of the guide bars 43; thereby forming a substantially grooved guide. The opposed guide member 47 is substantially fiat on is t is supported near its ends by the transverse supporting bars 48 suitably spaced from and secured to the supporting members 44, for example, as shown in Fig. 5. Double ended screws 49 are screwed into the supporting member 44 at each end, being fixed in position by lock nuts 51, and the supporting bars 48 are secured to the upper ends of these screws by means of the nuts 52. As shown in that figure, the expander guides on each side of the center guide are similarly constructed, the groove being formed in the upper guide member and the opposing face of the lower guide member being flat. Figure 8 shows the conformation assumed by a rib of an expanding blank as it passes through these guides. i

Certain intermediate guides are provided as shown in Figs. 5, 9, 10. and 11. Each of these intermediate guides consist of a lower guide member 53, secured to the supports 44 near its ends, and like the guide member 43, having its ends tapered to project between the adjacent feed rolls. The corresponding upper guide 56 is secured to the transverse supporting bars 48. The expander members 53 and 56 are slotted out at intervals as shown at 57 and 58 respectively. In the slots thus formed in the lower expander member 53 there are rotatably mounted the grooved rolls 59, and in the slots 58 in the .upper expander member 56 are rotatably mounted the narrow rolls or disks 60. The rolls 59 and 60 do not mate. with one another, but are alternately engaged by the blank passing therethrough. As the blank passes through the machine. a rib of the blank passes between the guides 53 and 56, its outer margins and its inner surface being alternately engaged by the rolls 59 and 60 respectively.

' The construction of the marginal expanding guides. 42 is shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 12 to 15 inclusive. Each of these dies or guides consist of a lower guide member 61, mounted on the supports 44 and the upper. generally L-shaped guide members 62 secured to the supportingbars 48. The lower guide member 61 is slotted out at intervals. as at 63, and in thcslots are rotatably mounted the small rolls 64 provided near their margins with a raised portion or tongue 65, which engages within the marginal rib of the blank undergoing expansion. as shown in Figs. 14 and 15. Opposite the rollers 64 there are rotatably secured to the upper guide 62 the rollers 66,

likewise provided with a projectin tongue 67 which engages the blank just within the rib. Between the rollers 66 the angularly disposed disks 68 are rotatably mounted upon a beveled surface 69 of the upper guide member 62. The disks 68 have their edges beveled and engage the expandim blank on the inner portion of the marginal rib, the disks 68 alternating with the opposed rolls 64 and 66. These opposed rolls, together with thedisks 68 retain and support the marginal rib of the sheet during expansion of the blank.

Alternating with the sets of expanding ribs as hereinbefore described are the guiding and feeding members, illustrated in detail in Fig. 4, and in conjunction with the expanding guides in Figs. 6, 9 and 12. Each of these feeding and guiding members comprises upper and lower feeding shafts 70 and 71 respectively. The lower shaft 71 in each case is mounted in lower bearing blocks 72 supported in a frame mounted on the table 20. An intermediate bearing 73 may likewise be provided. The upper feed shaft- 70 in each case is mounted in end bearing blocks 74 slidable in the frame 75 and held in position bys rings 75', the tension of which is adj'usta 1e from the yoke 75" by the screws 7 6. An intermediate bearing 77 may also be provided, suspended from the yoke 7 5 by means of a screw 78.

On the shafts 70 and 71 are provided at suitable intervals the opposed tongued and grooved rolls 7 9..the spacing and position of the groove in each case being determined by the formation of the ribs on the blank pass ing through the machine and by the extent to which it has been expanded. The shafts 70 and 71 are provided with mating gears 80, so that they may be driven in unison, and a sprocket wheel 81 is secured to a projecting end of each shaft 71.

After passing through the expanding dies and feed rolls, the expanded blank passes between the flattening rolls 82 and 83 by which the expanded metal is flattened out and distortions are removed. The flattening rolls are mountedin a lower supporting frame 85 secured to the table 20 and the upper supporting frame 86, mounted on rods 67 rising from the lower frame 85. The lower limit of movement of the upper supporting frame 86 is determined by the nuts 88. against which the uppersupporti'ng frame 66 is forced by the springs 89.

In the embodiment shown. three flatten ing rolls are mounted in each of thesup porting frames 85 and 86.the upper flattening rolls being designated by the numeral 62 and the lower by the numeral 83. The upper and lower rolls 82 and 83 are respectively alternately disposed. At one end. the rolls 852 and 63 project be 'ond the frame and the gears 92 are secured thereto. 'lliese Lao 81 and to it is secured the gear 100. This v gear 100 meshes with a gear 101 mounted on a short shaft 102 journalled on one end in the wall of the table 20 and at its'other end in' the supporting frame or yoke 103. On this shaft 102 is also mounted a sprocket wheel 104 which is driven by a chain 105 from a sprocket wheel 106.0n the shaft of 't-he motor 107.- The motor, through the sprocket wheels 106 and 104 and the chain 105 drives the shaft 102, which in turn through gears 101 and 100, drives the shafts 71 to. which the latter gear is secured. A suitable sprocket chain 96 connects the various sprocket wheels 81 of the feed rolls as well as the sprocket wheels 37 of theinitial feeding and grooving rolls, this chain being guided in its path by the idler sprocket wl1eels107-mounted in the guide roll supporting frames and by the idler sprockets 108 mounted on the side of the table 20. The-end feed roll, through the sprockets 97 and and the chain 96 drives the flattening rolls 80.

In operation, the previously slitted metal blank is fed through the feed table 20 to the grooving and feeding rolls 22 and 24, by which'the proper grooves or ribs are formed in the metal between the longitudinal series of slits in the blank. From the grooving and-feeding rolls'the blank passes to the first setof expanding dies, which engage the ribs,

and, by their divergence partially'expand the slitted portions of the blanks between the ribs. The blank then passes between the first set of grooved feeding rolls 79 and to the next group of stationary expander guides 38, by which the metal is further expanded. These operations are repeated until the expansion of themetal is complete, the metal then passing between the grooved flattening rolls 82 and 83.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the specific details of a device embodying it, it is not in-,

tended that these details shall be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention, except in so far as included in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for expanding slitted metal blanks, means for forming ribs in said blanks and advancing them through the machine.- and diverging iexpander members for rcccivingthc blanks and engaging the ribsformed therein, said expander mean here comprising means for alternately engagingthe interior of the ribs and the exterior margins thereof.

2. In apparatus for expanding slitted metal blanks, means for forming ribs in said blanks and advancing them through the machine, a succession of sets of. diverging expander members for receiving the blanks and engaging the ribs formed therein, said expander members comprising I means for alternately engaging the interior of the ribs and the exterior margins thereof, and feed rolls between the successive sets of expander members having means for engaging the ribs of the blanks passing therethrough.

3. In apparatus for expanding previously slitted metal blanks provided w1th longi tudinal ribs, diverging stationary expander members having meansfor alternately engaging the lnterior of the l'lbS and the exterior margms thereof.

4. In apparatus for expanding previously slitted metal blanks provided with longitudinal ribs, a stationary expander die comprising opposed die members, one having spaced rolls for engaging the interior of a rib of the blank and the other having spaced rolls for engaging an exteriormargin of a rib, the rolls of one of the die members being positioned between the rolls of-the other die member.

5. In apparatus for expanding previously slitted metal blanks provided with longitudinal ribs, a stationary expander die comprising opposed die members, one having spaced rolls for entering the interior of a rib of the blank and the other having spaced grooved rolls engaging the exterior margins of the rib, the rolls of one of the die members being positioned between those of the other.

6. In apparatus for expanding previously slitted metal blanks provided with a, marslitted metal blanks provided with a marginal rib, a stationary expander die comprising a die member having spaced rolls provided with tongues adapted to fit within the marginal rib and an opposed die member having spaced angularly inclined rollers engaging the inner side of the marginal rib.

8. In apparatus for expanding previously slitted metal blanks provided with a marginal rib, a stationary expander die comprising a die member having spaced rolls provided with tongues adapted to fit within the marginal rib and an opposed die member lie having s need angularly inclined rollers enprising opposed die members having spaced gaging tie inner side of the marginal rib, mating rolls fitting theinterior and exterior said inclined rollers being disposed between of the marginal rib, one of said dies being 10 the rollers of the other die member. provided alternately of said rolls with angu- 9. In apparatus for expanding previously larly inclined rollers engaging the inner side slitted metal blanks provided with :1 marof the marginal rib. ginal rib, a stationary expander die coni- LEWIS E. CURTIS. 

